NBA Star Reveals He Lost 50 Pounds During COVID Battle—and Had Panic Attack First Time Back on the Court

Karl-Anthony Towns, the NBA’s 2015-16 Rookie of the Year, has said that he lost roughly 50 pounds after testing positive for COVID-19 in January. The Minnesota Timberwolves center was infected just nine months after his mother, Jacqueline Towns, died of the virus. COVID also claimed his uncle and five other family members last year. “I’ve had a lot of situations this year where things were just too much for me,” he told Sports Illustrated. He was cleared to play in February, and said that the season gave him no time to process his grief. “I felt like everything was an open-ended sentence, you know? There was no closure,” he said. “There was no period at the end.”

Towns, whom his coach called “a top-five talent in the league,” also had trouble returning to the court. Benched during a game in Cleveland, nervous about the number of people in the arena after his period of quarantine, he began exhibiting symptoms of a panic attack. He rushed off the court and texted his agent, “I can’t be out here anymore. I can’t do this.” Later, he and his father discussed an indefinite leave of absence plan. Ultimately, though, he’s chosen to keep playing. “I think I’ve grown as a person,” he said of the last year. “I had no choice.”